Notes from Lands End

Come to a Provincetown Festival.

People from all over the world love to gather at Lands End to celebrate Art, Film, Theater, Culture, Alternative Performance, Jazz, Tennessee Williams and each other.

Mark your calendar, reserve a room and come to a Provincetown festival!

MARCH

3/8 Year-Rounders

Courtesy of the Afterglow Festival

11am to 11pm - Town Hall (Saturday only).

Started by the late Howie Schneider over thirty years ago, this one day event is a welcome respite from gray days and hibernation. There will be something for everyone: raffles, an auction, food, drink, art, apparel, jewelry, crafts, books and music from local bands.

Organizers are Eva Beals, Jennifer Morrow, Lydia Hamnquist, Stephen Wells and Vida Hamnquist. Let me tell you, these folks know how to make something happen. Shake off those winter blues and come out to play. Go to their Facebook page for a list of events Year Rounders Festival

One of the highlights of my artistic life was acting in Meryl Cohn’s short play BEST MAN during this bi-annual homage to original works. A fresh and edgy collection of shorts and one acts, performed and directed by the community, will be sure to entertain. The upcoming season at the theater includes productions of RENT and HAMLET by the marvelous Peregrine Theatre Ensemble. Contact the Provincetown Theater, celebrating their tenth anniversary at their 238 Bradford Street location. Call 508-487-7487 or go to www.provincetowntheater.org for tickets.

Artists, scientists and naturalists come together for this open air festival celebrating our collective love for Mother Earth. Dunes Edge Eco-Campground generously donates their seventeen acres of woods. There will be readings, performances, outdoor sculptures and the option to pitch a tent. An amazing group of international and resident sculptors, ecologists and supporting businesses make this annual foray into the forest and wetlands a magical event. Submit your work or learn more at: Appearances.

Composer John Thomas (check out his CD here http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/thomasjohn) discovered how many international workers are also accomplished painters and musicians. He created WorldFest to honor them. Art openings and concerts, with talent like vocalist Darya Yanitskaya, show the artistic depth of people who are in restaurant kitchens and filling your bags at the Stop & Shop. What fun just before the season ramps up! Look for more updates at: WorldFest.

In its 16th year (Sweet!), PIFF is expanding to a full week. Newly appointed Festival Director and CEO of the Provincetown Film Society Michael Levine said in a recent press release, “Our core schedule – Wednesday through Sunday – will remain the same. But we’re going to add two days: a screenings-only ‘Preview Day’ on Tuesday; and a ‘Celebration Day’ following the Closing Night.”

Coined the “New Sundance”, PIFF is renowned for its brave curatorial choices with categories ranging from GLBT, Cape Cod filmmakers’ shorts and remarkable cinema from around the globe. Get the details at www.ptownfilmfest.org, 508-487-FILM.

A seafaring culture, the first Portuguese came to Provincetown from the Azores and Lisbon to catch fish. Relatives soon followed and their vibrant community was the focus of the classic book “Time and the Town” by Mary Heaton Vorse. Come for this tribute to a fun-loving culture. Eat a bowl of kale soup, sample desserts like trutas (divine), dance, sing and watch the parade.

On Sunday, a procession carries a statue of St. Peter, the Patron Saint of Fisherman, for the Blessing of the Fleet at the end of MacMillan Wharf. It is a beautiful time. For a schedule and ways to volunteer, visit www.provincetownportuguese.com.

Throaty voices and marvelous riffs will fill Town Hall Saturday August 16th. Emcee Stephanie Weaver, Managing Director of the C.C. Conservatory of Music and Arts, will introduce national performers Kathy Kosins and Dane Vannatter accompanied by the Cape Cod Jazz Quintet with local icon and drummer Bart Weisman.

Follow the crowd on Monday, August 18th, to the Cotuit Center for the Arts. Find out more about this ode to the American phenomena of Jazz at their website. ProvincetownJazzFestival.org.

Conceived by John Cameron Mitchell and Quinn Cox, Afterglow “renews the centennial artistic bond between Greenwich Village and Provincetown.” Hosted at the Crown and Anchor, the fest brings edgy, raw New York talent to Commercial Street at a magical time of year. Only three years old, Afterglow has already brought gravitas to the town’s performance scene.

The Opening Night Party and Variety Show (9/8) hosted by Stella Starsky and Quinn Cox is a star-studded event not to be missed. Donate, participate and check out their divine website: Afterglow

By giving us Williams unplugged, the brave folks at the Provincetown festival are doing the necessary, good work…”
-American Theatre Magazine

For four glorious days in the fall, works by Tennessee Williams and his friends will be produced all over town in unexpected venues like hotels, churches and swimming pools. Extraordinary productions of master plays and newly discovered works connect Cape Cod to international performances from as far away as South Africa.

In its ninth year, President Patrick Falco, Curator David Kaplan and Executive Director Jef Flavin has raised the bar for Provincetown theater by bringing phenomenal talent to Lands End. Go to www.twptown.org for more.

Mark your calendar, reserve a room and come to a Provincetown festival.